Still, he intends to sell it. "The court said I couldn't prove it was a fake."

Nash believes Sterpka could still profit, even with the controversy. As long as PSA and JSA have endorsed it, it will forever remain a liquid commodity.

The potential for resale is unlikely to matter to either Clemons or eBay. The former says he's done policing the site; Gonzales contends that the people currently overseeing the memorabilia division aren't as vigilant as he was. In the end, he was left with one lesson in the current state of the autograph trade.

Courtesy of Steve Sterpka

The trading card purported to bear the signature of aviator Charles Lindbergh.

Courtesy of Steve Sterpka

PSA provided a letter of authenticity endorsing the Lindbergh signature in May 2008.

"It doesn't have to be authentic," Gonzales says. "It just has to be authenticated."